| Shippodoku Keiji | |
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| Personal | |
|---|---|
| Birthplace |  Land of Wind |
| Birthdate | Oct 15 |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 15 |
| Height | 4'11"" |
| Weight | 110 lbs. |
| Blood Type | O |
| Kekkei Genkai |  Sasoriendai |
| Classification | Sunagakure Jounin |
| Areas of Expertise | Taijutsu, Posion, Medical Ninjutsu, Earth Ninjutsu |
| Clan |  Shippodoku |
| Affiliation | Sunagakure |
| Team | Team #2 |
| Rank | |
| Ninja Rank | Chuunin |
| Ninja Registration | Ninja ID # 083240 |
| Academy Grad. Age | 9 years old |
| Chuunin Grad. Age | 11 years old |
| Jounin Grad. Age | 15 years old |
| Nature Type | |
| Element |  Earth |
| Family | |
| Father | Shippodoku Kiashiro |
| Mother | Shippodoku Kajira |
| Brother | Shippodoku Konsatsu |
| Signature Jutsu | |
|---|---|
| Concealed Strike |
| Ninja Stats | |
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| Mastered Sasoriendai |
|---|
Keiji hails from a clan shrouded in mystery. Some rumors tell that they are half man, half scorpion. Other tales tell of them selling their souls to a scorpion demon for power. Sometimes the fact that the children of this clan make better assassins than most men of other clans is found less interesting then how they came to be.
Very few know the truth. This is the story of one boy who will find out more than he ever cared to about who he is and where he came from.
Background
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| Boy with Scorpion |
|---|
As a clan the Shippodoku are known to keep to themselves. Sometimes even from each other. When the clan members are interacting with each other, it is usually a show of arrogance to prove ones self better than the next. Because of this, life can be very hard on the youth of the clan.
Born into the Shippodoku clan, Keiji was no exception to the lifestyle. Almost from birth Keiji showed a vast potential for the arts of the clan. This was only confirmed when he learned the underground assassination technique at the age of seven. Beyond the technique, the child even seemed gifted in his control over chakra. This caused a lot of the clan to turn their attention towards the child. Along with the attention came rumors and comments. At first the attention made Keiji happy. After a while though it caused a lot of problems within his family.
Keiji's father became very distant from the boy. It seemed the boy was a prodigy when he was considered by most a very slow learner. One of the more obvious rumors to pass through the clan was that he had been surpassed by his own seven year old son. A few rumors that followed questioned if he was even Keiji's father. This alone caused a few altercations at home.
Luckily for Keiji, the clan had begun sending their youth to the academy as a means to socialize and make the clan stronger. There he graduated at the age of nine. It was this introduction that allowed him to seek out the village to build new ties that he was unable to find in his own clan.
As a Genin in Sunagakure, Keiji seemed to thrive. There were other Genin, but few seemed to remain in the village on a constant basis. The boy spent a lot of his time with the council member Itami and the Sasaki Imota. The two were good for him to watch and learn from.
During this time frame war had broken out in the rest of the world. It was the official stance of Sunagakure to not really take a part in the war. Up until the end, Keiji did not really see any combat. It was only towards the end of the war that Suna began to dispatch forces against Kirigakure.
Once the war ended, a stalker appeared looking for Keiji. It was his brother Konsatsu, whom had decided to follow a similar path away from home. Konsatsu seemed to replace Imota in Keiji's travels with Itami. Things went pretty well for the two boys. Missions around the time had them fighting slavery and smugglers. Eventually the missions lead to San Sara Duruta, the capital of crime on the land. The campaign only lasted a short time and ended in the destruction of the city. This was not the first time Keiji had witnessed power but the first time it was on such a large scale.
Then came the Chuunin Exams. Keiji had felt himself fall away from the group. Konsatsu had become Itami's apprentice and the two seemed to have a very unique relationship. The Exams seemed to be the perfect answer for Keiji. The first exam was pretty basic. Questions and responses. The second exam was a bit harder. Survival, including combat against fellow Genin. There were a few close fights, but Keiji was able to hold his own and entered into the third exam. The tournament round. Keiji defeated Hyuuga Kaydin in the first round and Taniguchi Hitoshi in the second round. He was scheduled to face Sabaku in the third round, but declared victor when she failed to arrive in the third round due to being kidnapped.
There was little time for rest after the exams had finished and Keiji had been one of three promoted to Chuunin. A team was being put together to retrieve Sabaku, but before that the wanted criminal, Genjitsu Emu made an appearance. An on the spot team of shinobi formed of both Suna and Konoha members chased him through underground tunnels. The official story ends with Keiji's poison killing Emu. This was not the first time Keiji had been involved with official stories.
When the smoke cleared and forces were able to track the Fire Daimyo's niece, Sabaku, a team was dispatched. Itami, Konsatsu and Keiji again were travelling, this time to the Land of Fire where they met up with Uchiha Fuyu. Once at the target location, another group of Konohagakure shinobi joined the group. The group successfully returned and restored Sabaku to her rightful home.
Personality
Like most Shippodoku, Keiji seems to keep to himself. He tends to avoid heavy interaction with people. It is how he was raised. With the exception of his time at the academy, his days were spent beneath the surface of the earth playing with scorpions. While his clan views the lack of ties as a positive, Keiji seems to desire the relationships of others.
The attitude carried towards his clan is not really a positive one, though very few will ever be trusted enough to find that out from Keiji himself. The constant need for proving ones self above the rest has caused him more problems than he ever cared for. It is one of the many reasons he can be found above the ground even during the day time… with that oh so cruel sun…
As far as morality is concerned, Keiji understands the need to uphold the law and the need to break the law in certain cases. As far as right and wrong are concerned, these are just guidelines placed inside an all around gray area.
Appearance
Chuunin Appearance
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| Keiji Unmasked |
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The masculine figure before you seems to be no larger than a boy, eleven years of age. The entire head, except for the face is covered by a black hood. It is a seperate piece from the rest of his uniform. The edge of the hood starts at a point between the eyes, just above the bridge of the nose. The fabric then traces back just enough to cover the eyebrows of the boy before the curve of the fabric begins to descend down into a loose opening around the neck.
The boy's face is covered by a mask of dark metal. The top of the mask starts at the bridge of the boy's nose, just a mere half inch below the hood. The top edge of the mask then follows the contour of the eyes before travelling back under the hood towards the ears. The center of the mask falls downwards at an angle to create a hollow, half, octogon shape over the end of the nose. The metal edge then continues down to just below the chin where each side forms a an almost fang. The mask bottom then follows the jaw line back towards the ears. The mask has a semi square portion cut out of it over the cheek on each side. This has been filled with a similar colored mesh. Filling in the half octogon over the nose is another piece of metal. This one extends down just short of the edge of the mask to cover the actual chin. This piece also contains to slits filled by mesh.
Irises of dark indigo give very little contrast, if any at all, to the cold, black pupils they house. It is almost as if there is just a shimmer of color outside the dark depths. The only skin visible is that around these Irises. The skin is without a blemish.
The rest of the boy's uniform seems to have been adapted from the traditional Sungakure vest. It's color has been dyed to match the darkness of the mask and hood. There are several pouches and assorted places to hide shinobi tools. There is some extra armor and padding around his forearms. His forehead protector has been tied around his upper right arm. It is the only thing of a shiny nature readily seen on his persons. That is until he extends his gloved hands to reveal a set of pincered, finger claws.
Genin Appearance
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| Keiji as a Genin |
|---|
Here appears to be a boy, no more than ten years of age. An emblem on his forehead protector marks him as a member of the Village Hidden in the Sand. Despite the delicate look of his facial structure, the body seems toned and trained.
Irises of dark indigo give very little contrast, if any at all, to the cold, black pupils they house. It is almost as if there is just a shimmer of color outside the dark depths. The visible skin of his face looks soft. There is not a single blemish on it. His hair seems to have been touched by night itself, though if looked at in the right light, one may find a touch of crimson. The length of his hair comes only to his ears.
The clothing of this child appears to be standard, only in a darker sense than usual. His body is covered in black wrappings and netting of a similar color peak out where skin would normally be exposed. The only notable difference is that this kid wears a pair of iron nail extensions on his hands.
Relationships
| Name | Relationship | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Asao | Team Member | Despite reminding him a bit of Imota, Asao seems to have more natural maturity, almost annoyingly so. He is an up and coming puppeteer that has been assigned to Keiji's team. At first he and Kazeodori did not see eye to eye but now they have come to some sort of understanding. |
| Kuroki Kuoroke | Teacher | There have been very little interaction with this member of the Jounin Council. Of what Keiji has seen, this man is all work and very little play. As Keiji becomes more mature, he is starting to have more respect for Kurouke. |
| Sasaki Imota | Ally | This guy is one of the few who is able to send a shiver down Keiji's spine without even trying. While Keiji is unsure the origins of this boy, he is certain they are not far from an experimental laboratory. Though he seems to question the soul of this boy, he remains sure that if he does not cross the Kazekage or the Jounin Council, Imota will remain an ally. |
| Sasaki Kazeodori | Student | A very unique child. Though only a year younger than Keiji, at times he seems to make Keiji appear much old and more mature. The child as a lot of talent and even more potential. Now if only to keep shiny objects out of his view. |
| Shippodoku Konsatsu | Brother | I was surprised when he came to find me. Our relationship is not where I want it, but I doubt it ever will be. He's a good kid but his desire for fame and power will end up his undoing. I just hope I am strong enough to avenge him should he fall. |
| Watanabe Itami | Teacher | Though he knows very little about this Itami, it is known that she is a member of the Jounin Council. She also seems to gain more and more of his respect as they interact with each other. |
| Name | Relationship | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Uchiha Tessen | N/A | This guy seemed fairly upset about the death of someone close to him and began to threaten a member of the Jounin Council. He claimed he would destroy the entire village if they did not hand over the body. He seemed to be very irrational. Is he really that strong? |
| Name | Relationship | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Uesugi Mika | N/A | A shinobi from a foreign land. She seems clumsy at best. Sometimes she can barely hold her balance. It is a surprise she hails from a clan kin to cats. On a positive note she has good senses. I wonder what she is doing in Sunagakure. Is she really chasing after some imposter to her mother's work? |
| Uchiha Naru | ? | I have crossed paths with this one on several occassions. Once when my life as a Genin started, once becoming a Chuunin and once rescueing Sabaku. I would consider her an ally, but the exams proved to me that we are from different villages and at a moments notice allegiances can change. |
Keiji's Mental Archive (Journal)
Being a Shippodoku genin in Sunagakure is not easy. There are a lot of different
things that occupy my time. Training is the most obvious. Another important one
is to build a list of assets. Here are a few of the possibles I have recently
met.
Sasaki Imota - The first time that I met this boy, he was dragging a criminal
back to the village by wire. I am not sure if all Sasaki are like this, but
the boy seems like he could be a puppet with book knowledge. Everything is so
black and white to him. Despite this, he seems pretty powerful. I saw him go
after a rogue Uchiha one time.
Watanabe Itami - I met her in the center of the village. There was a rain storm
coming in and she wanted to make sure the villagers played nicely when getting
their buckets. She genuinely seems to care about the well being of those in the
village. I think she may be more of a leader than fighter. Of course to be on
the Jounin Council she is likely both.
Uesugi Mika - This one hails from the land of the moon. They have some very odd
cultural traits. Things like no discussing jutsu or training while digesting food.
Also she seems to toss words out that could be considered hostile. I doubt she
means any harm, but she still annoys me a little bit.
Kuroki Kuoroke - Another member of the Jounin Council. This guy is always trying
to point out flaws. I know he does it to help people get better, but he comes off
as a real slave driver sometimes. Other than that I do not know much of him. He
has watched me practice a few times.
Taji - I met Taji during a sand storm. She had been wondering around outside the
hospital. She's not a shinobi. She's also not from Sunagakure. Her village was
destroyed in the war and Itami rescued her. I helped her back to the hospital.
Amaro Haruko - I had the privaledge to spar with this girl. We were close to even
though I think I may have edged her out if we continued on. Her clan uses a steel
cloth jutsu. It was a new thing to adjust to. I do not know more about her than
that.
Gin Amori - Another genin. This one is kind of like a childish brat. She likes to
tinker with parts and has an attitude if you interrupt her. We sparred and my Taijutsu
was easily superior to any of her skills.
Watanabe Rokudo - He is a chuunin from Itami's clan. He is from a different branch
though. He also acts a bit different from her. She is more confident where he seems
to shy away from attention. I have only seen him a number of times. Maybe some day we
will do a mission together.
Some of these people have some more obvious value than others, but you never know when
someone will turn up useful.
The rumor of the day had been that Itami-sama had been hospitalized by a giant laser weapon in an attack on Konohagakure by Kirigakure. I rushed over to the hospital right away to see if it was true. Sure enough there she was.
What happened next surprised me. She woke up and began to make her exit from the hospital. It was like she was still back a few days in the attack. She was moving to go stop that weapon despite her condition. I am not sure how they managed to get her back into that bed.
I visited her again a few days later. There she was in much better spirits. I made a request of her to help me learn some elemental ninjutsu to give me something more than taijutsu. Itami-sama then started to harass the nursing staff. She had sent for something special but they were taking a while. Eventually she threatened to leave the hospital again. I guess it was enough of a threat to hurry them up.
Soon a messenger arrived with a piece of paper. She had me run my chakra through it. The paper then crumbled into dust. Supposedly this means I am a natural at using earth style. I have not learned any jutsu for this style yet, but it is something I am eager to train in.
Finally there was something to do besides training, training and what seemed like more training. I accompanied Itami-sama to the open plains. There had been reports that a small village was being attacked. It was more than likely bandits taking advantage of the war between Konohagakure and Kirigakure. Our mission was simple. Investigate the reports and solve the issue.
The mission started off a little rough. When we located the village, it resembled a ghost town. As we entered it, the villagers began to attack us from their hiding spots. Since they were just villagers we had to use non lethal force. Between the clone jutsu and our movements underground, Itami-sama and I were able to evade their attacks. I managed to take a hostage. From there we diffused the situation.
Only moments after the situation was diffused the group of bandits showed up. Both Itami-sama and I took up our own positions. They moved through the huts and looted what they could find of value. Both of us used the earth to hide our movements. I managed to take a bandit out on his way to the out house. After a decent henge, I followed another bandit into a hut. I quickly dispatched him before moving out to the wagon. I dispatched another one there. Itami-sama on the other hand had taken out the other two bandits.
Then their leader stepped forward. He was a shinobi of some form. He used earth style ninjutsu. He launched his attack by destroying the wagon I was in. He almost got me too. I moved forward to attack the rogue shinobi. It would give Itami-sama time to evacuate the others. While a few huts were destroyed I managed to keep him busy.
Eventually he trapped Itami-sama in some earth. While I am certain she could have escaped I managed to effectively stun him through a nerve in his ankle. The battle went on for a short while. After I wounded his hand, he started to do jutsu signs with a single hand. In the end he used some form of stone skin jutsu. I lodged a pincer into his eye, killing him instantly. Mission was a success.
I ended up taking a trip to the hospital for my wounds suffered at the hands of the shinobi. In the end we were not able to figure out which village he hailed from. He was named the ring leader of a group pretending affiliation with Kirigakure to make a profit off of struggling villagers. Sunagakure has begun work to establish a trade route with said village.
This was quite a mess. The night before I had watched Itami-sama attempt to test Mika. I was not sure why or how. Imota more or less ruined the test before I could find out. At first it appeared to be a test of Mika's senses. That is until Imota just stepped right out into the open and began lodging accusations. I figured the night was a bust, so I left.
When I woke up the next morning I heard news that Imota had been hospitalized. I sought out Itami-sama right away. She did not seem to remember much of the night before, but worried that she had done something bad. I agreed to visit Imota in the hospital with her. It was for her to make amens.
When we arrived, Imota was in horrible condition. He had suffered severe burns. Soon after we saw this, Imota's eyes opened and they seemed to find Itami. He began to build his wind chakra. He did not hurt any of the nurses though he was doing damage to the hospital building.
I tried to speak to him, but he would not have it. Everything was according to him. All of his evidence was better than anyone elses. I swear this guy would tell the Kazekage he was inefficient. This would turn into a showdown between Itami-sama and Imota. After some words, Imota let it know he was trying to force his own death.
I was moving away from the showdown when I felt the attack. The wind was intense. I had tensed up my body waiting for it, but something else happened. I was grabbed by a set of arms. They were reptilian and very fast. Some how Itami-sama had stopped the wind. I am not sure why or how, but as she placed me down, my heart began to race. Something in me was changing. My muscles tensed up and I fell forward. Could this be the Sasoriendai trait? Was it the wind that caused this or did something in Itami-sama draw this out of me?
Normally I am fairly gifted with chakra useage. Today would be yet another test of this. Itami-sama had sent a summon for me. I reported the bath house. The goal was for me to learn to walk on water. Unlike walking on trees or a flat surface, this jutsu requires the chakra to match and counter the changing surface beneath the feet.
After a brief explanation of this, I stepped out onto the water. My first few steps were excellent. I had stabilized myself for a bit. This was a piece of cake or so it seemed. Then Itami-sama distracted me. She let me know it was a matter of time before I went under. She was right. I had a moment of weakness in my chakra and fell through into the water.
Once more I got up on the water. I was a little more shaky this time. But Itami-sama was not going to let it be that easy. She made an earth clone and sent it into the water. The ripples caused me to fall in again. As I tried to get onto the water again I failed. The next try though, I stood up and began to compensate for the water. Yet another jutsu accomplished.
Recent intelligence showed that the weapon Kirigakure had fired off recieved targets through an ocular jutsu. These shinobi were known as "Hawkeye". Upon receiving the information, Itami-sama, Mika and myself were dispatched to hunt down one of these shinobi. It was my first trip to the Fire Nation.
It did not take us long to locate one of these Hawkeye. Mika was able to gather the general area from the scent of one. I then was able to pin point the location. We launched a surprise attack on him. Despite being wounded the man fought on. He severely burned me through the use of fire clones.
Eventually he escaped us. My body had gone numb. Both Itami-sama and Mika were able to evade the guy's attacks. So both of them were doing pretty good. Luckily for us the target did not move far. We located him and through a combined assault took his life. Another successful mission. Unfortunately it ended with another trip to the hospital for me. Not bad for my first taste of war.
I had been so excited when the war between Kirigakure and Konohagakure broke out. While war is not something one should be pleased to have, it was a great oppurtunity to show my skills. Now war has come and gone. With the destruction of kirigakure's weapon, a short term peace has fallen across the land. Needless to say I am a little upset with the lack of performance allowed to me by Sunagakure but I will get over it.
On the other hand, now that peace is about all the former trade routes are opening again. That means work for me, though most dangers to face the trade caravans come from villagers or other people displaced by the war. It is kind of a double edged sword I guess. The only ones that truly win from war are the warlords. I feel bad for the people because it will be a short time before the next war breaks out. It seems like people forget how bad war becomes until they are in it.
My mission tonight was to guard a caravan. We were attacked by some bandits. They had no real talent for that type of work. We ended up killing a couple horses and putting them even further into poverty. Both Mika and Itami gave them some gold to help them get on their feet. Despite the eye opener, the mission was a success.
Over the past week or two, a mystery shinobi named Ryoji has approached me. This guy speaks in a different way. Not really in riddles, but not exactly a normal type of speech. It is hard to explain, but today he asked me to travel with him in search of truth. There was a fairly good chance my village would consider me a rogue. This would have made him my sensei.
Among other things Ryoji seems to have an issue with the Kazekage. He raised some valid points, but I am not sure when I will be to that level of politics. Needless to say I declined the journey. My home is in Sunagakure. Maybe one day in the future I will travel.
As for Ryoji, I am not sure where this leaves him. I have found no reason not to be friends with him. I am not sure if I would align myself with him when he returns to Sunagakure, but I might try to leave the bridge up. You never know when you need a friend in a different circle.
Rumor has it in the last couple of days that my younger brother has been looking for me. Well, it was a matter of time before my past caught up to me. I went in search of Konsatsu last night and found him. It was one of those situations where I would rather find him before he finds me. I was rather harsh on him. I guess I assumed he would turn against me like others in my clan.
I was surprised. When I told him to go home, he refused. He actually seems to want to stand beside me. It is so much different from before. I know deep down he still wants to compete with me. He made a choice to come find me. I feel a little guilty now. Hopefully the two of us can put aside our differences and do what is best for the clan.
Eventually I will have to find out how much Konsatsu knows of what happened between father and I. Some of his words are making me think he does not know I am no longer welcome at home. This brings back some memories that were better off buried. At least mother seems to be doing alright. It has been a few years now.
Both Konsatsu and myself were selected for a mission in San Sara. Itami was leading us through the town. We were an advanced force. Our job was simple. Mark locations with a chakra marker where there was a possibility of slaves residing. If we ran into trouble, we were given permission to use lethal force in dealing with it.
Since none of us were actually from San Sara we needed to figure out where the high priority targets were. We knew on average different hot spots, but just not where they were located. We stopped at the local bar to get some directions.
There was some trouble getting their attention, so I tossed a kunai into the floor. Suddenly we were the center of attention. One man tried to force us into slavery. I refused to back down from this man. Before assaulting him and starting my first bar brawl, I order Konsatsu to leave at least one man alive.
I used an earth style jutsu to trip the man up, then stabbed him with my pincer. He told me a good amount of information. I found him to be very helpful with the right incentive. Then the lights went out. Konsatsu impressed me with that move. Of course then Itami set the bar on fire. That was less impressive. After a little more incentive I finally got the rest of the information I required from that man. We were able to save many innocent lives due to it.
The passing of the old year and the start of a new one. For me, to understand where I wish to be, I have to look at where I have been. In the past year, I not only graduated the academy but found a new life. I was no longer an outcast of the Shippodoku clan. I became a shinobi of Sunagakure.
Even more of a surprise was the arrival of my brother in Sunagakure. I was a little bit mean to him at first. I thought he might have carried father's grudge, but it seems I was wrong. He wants to surpass me but that is natural. I find that he is sometimes overly eager to prove he is stronger, but despite this he is a welcomed addition to my new life. In him, I think I may have found someone I can trust to watch my back.
As the fireworks went off in Sunagakure, Konsatsu and I sparred out in the desert to start the year off. He did very well. I was surprised to see that he had started down the path of Sasoriendai. Though he was not as far as I am, I honored his request for me to show him how far I had gotten. He was not able to keep up with my form, but I think it allowed him to be proud none the less.
Now for the new year. I have many goals, each of which will require me to become stronger. So long as I continue to raise the bar, not only will I get stronger, but so will Konsatsu. In this new year, I intend on becoming a chuunin and trying to lead my own squad. I am not sure if Konsatsu will be in my squad or not. Even if he is not, I am sure we will see each other often. I am after all his biggest rival.
It was the final night of what seemed like Itami's personal crusade against San Sara-Duruta. We had a previous mission there in where we located and marked areas for search parties. On this night everything was going to come together.
The shinobi forces arrived under cover of wagon. Both Konsatsu and I were to remain near the wall. We were to protect the summoning forces with Itami. Sora and Mika were sent into the city on some speed specific mission. Maikeru began to form some gigantic bomb. In the end the goal was to kill as many scum bags as possible while getting the slaves and unfortunate victims out unharmed.
Konsatsu shocked me. He had advanced his Sasoriendai. He was now on the same level as me. I almost felt as though I was slacking. After a while of fighting, some shinobi using water style tried to flood us out. Both myself and Konsatsu were knocked back, but he was unable to walk on water. He had to swim to safety. I ended up walking the water. Soon after we were given the sign that it was time to leave. I ended up pulling two men into a wall, leaving only their heads for the explosion. I then made my way to the wagon just in time.
The explosion lit up the night sky. By the time the sun rose, there would be nothing left except for a crater. I myself was left wondering if I would ever be able to stand against a shinobi like Maikeru. He had the power to destroy villages, but what about an assassin?
This was a freak event. I remember hearing stories of the Ghoul of the Desert, but none of them were ever really the same in details. You know, one time it is an area that smells really bad and the next time it is a cow that's eyes turned inside out. They all seemed far fetched and even kind of childish. That is until earlier today.
I was sent to the hospital to deliver a package. On my way down I walked past the morgue. It looked like someone had barricaded the door shut and there was a lot of sand in the area. I mean lots. Then it hit me. It was a stench worse than that of death. I am not even sure that crow would wish to eat that.
As I ran out to the reception area to tell them the morgue had backed up, the power shut off and the stench continued out. To make matters worse there was an earth quake to accompany it. The stench was causing people to pass out. Between my ability to see in the dark and my earth clones, I was able to help Itami evacuate the hospital. She made a tunnel for the escape.
I guess the earth had tried to swallow up the hospital. The official statement was that the earth quake caused the power outage. There was more to it than that, but I am sworn to silence. The power was out before the earth quake started. The official statement also did not mention me. Oh well, thats the life of an assassin. Never get any credit. We did lose one person. They were a vegetable that cut out when life support died. Nothing we could have done. I just wonder, does that mean the Ghoul of the Desert is real?
The first ever Chuunin Exams are being held in Sunagakure! I get a chance to prove myself in my own home land. I think this gives me an advantage over shinobi of other nations. I have already passed the first exam which was a written portion. The questions were pretty simple. They all were about decision making and how I would respond to things. I answered as best I could.
The next portion if Survival. Survival in a desert that I live in. Are they kidding me? How hard could it be? I have brushed up my pincer strike. For the exam. I am now targetting higher pain areas. Combined with my knowledge of desert survival, the only thing that I do not have accounted for is the level of my competition.
We have had some recent visitors from Iwagakure for the exams but I have not been able to face any of their genin. I would have liked to before hand. I have not really had a chance to face any shinobi from Kiri or Kono either. It is a shame. I always like to be prepared on my competition.
I do not fear losing in battle but I do fear disgracing my country on a national stage. Hopefully I will pass the exam.
To start the second exam, all genin were given a scroll and sent to the Shiren Caverns. The only goal was to finish the exam with two scrolls. The only other rule was that there was to be no leaving of the caverns until the exam was over. While it was not stated openly, death was on the table, be it by another genin or one of the creatures living in the cavern.
Because I had not really frequented the caverns and I had no idea the level of the competition, I was forced to make a quick tactical decision. I found a path that looked well travelled in the cavern and hid beneath it in the earth. It was not long before someone happened upon the path.
I quickly launched my attack, taking the victim by surprise. It was a young Hyuuga boy. I managed to take him by surprise. Instead of fight, he took off running through the caverns. I followed behind him and was able to land several shots on his body. Keeping up with him was not a problem. Soon the boy fell over nearly dead.
I retrieved his scroll. The mission was halfway complete. Now all I had to do was survive the rest of the time in the cavern. Instead of run off and hide, I stuck around and tried to stop some of the bleeding on my downed foe. A few moments later another shinobi from Konoha showed up. I handed the body over to him and he started to use some medical ninjutsu. I stayed in the area to watch over them but I did not remain with them.
I felt bad for the boy. I never used my power of Sasoriendai on him, yet he never stood a chance. Looking back on the day, I could have fought him without jumping him. Unfortunately in this life, there are many decisions that I will not agree with. This is after all suppose to be a test.
The lack of knowledge about my opponents was killing me. Missions that involve lots of details are wonderful. They tend to go smoothly and have a lot less chance for error. Missions that have a large blank spot in the information column tend to be loaded with problems and inaccurate calculations. Besides, I had to know if the rest of those in this competition were above or below me. It was still early in the exam.
I fought another shinobi a few days after the Hyuuga. I believe his name was Satonezu Eremi. The boy was very hard to hit. His speed was incredible. It was equal to mine if not better using my power of Sasoriendai. I managed to hit him a few times, but in order to beat him, I had to know where he was going to be. I was able to forecast his strikes and used my own to take him down. He had lost his scroll earlier in the competition.
Three days in and I had fought two guys and won both matches, though the second took its toll on me. My luck was going to get worse. I walked upon some people. Konoha shinobi. It was Naru, whom I had met before, Naoki and his medic friend. Between myself and them a giagantic spider dropped down. I heard the Hyuuga mention that it had scrolls on it. The thing had been eating candidates in the exam.
I had no real choice but to attack it. I could not stand around as genin were dieing in an exam. I stood toe to toe with it for a while as the others tried to figure out who they wanted to side with. Eventually they sided with me. Naru did some damage to it, but I laid a hurt on the creature. It took it really well. I've never seen anything living take that much abuse and still be able to stand. To it's advantage, it did have eight legs. After a while it managed to spit out some webbing and stick me to a wall. I managed to break free a bit later. I lost it and went nuts on the spider. My pincers stabbed it in the jaw and then it ran away.
The ordeal was kind of upsetting. I had drawn out all my power and still was unable to kill the spider. I ended up showing the other genin all of my tricks and walked away empty handed. The only thing I gained from it was that Naru had some skills. The other two did not.
To make matters worse, Naru challenged me the next day. The girl is of the Uchiha clan and uses fire ninjutsu and genjutsu blade strikes. She seemed to be losing her nerve in the exams. She made a very deliberate statement that she refused to lose. Though her genjutsu were able to hurt me, my physical ability wore her down. She was badly injured and near exhaustion when the fight ended. The girl refused to hand me her scroll. Instead she held it out towards me and then used her genjutsu to run away before I could take it. The stress of possible failure was getting to her. She was changing and becoming more desperate. Had I made a mistake or two she would have taken my scrolls.
It has been a week since the finish of the second exam. I found out that I would face another Hyuuga boy. I had fought Kaydin before towards the end of the second exam. It was purely a defensive battle. He was not easy to hit. After a drawn out battle I beat him. Using the knowledge I gained from the spar, I put together a few tactics to get around the boy's ability.
The boy's eyes were very good at spotting things most could not see. I knew hiding in the ground would not work against him. He would spot me without trouble. During our spar, I had not been overly offensive with my attacks. I planned to use that against him. He had seen my extra arms and the tail. He had also seen me try to trade blows with him. I was able to devise a plan to surprise him.
I paid little attention to the crowd as I heard my name announced. I was more worried about how my tactics were going to pay off. My opponent showed up. There was some giant shinobi calling the match. As it started, the Hyuuga struck first. I saw my opening and countered his first blow with my own. I cut him deeply. Then I launched my own attacks and they furthered him closer to the end. I thought for a moment the match was over as he fell to a knee, but he got back up and launched one final attack. I was able to dodge each of his palms. I made one final attack and he then fell down. He was close to dead. The match was over. He admitted and the ref called it.
The fight was short and I had not taken any damage. I had managed to almost kill another in a matter of five total blows. I had feared losing this way in front of those in my home land. Now I had caused someone a reason for shame. There was not a whole lot else for me to do. I offered Kaydin a bow and left to prepare for my next match.
Of those left in my bracket, my next match would be against a shinobi named Taniguchi Hitoshi from Konoha or Kaguya Tsun from Kiri. Of all the candidates, Tsun was the most feared. Rumors flew through the caverns of her killing genin and beating up three Konoha genin, much like I did Kaydin, except all at once. I had no idea how I was going to combat such a foe. More or less, I figured the next match to be my last match in the tournament.
I decided to head out into the desert and consider how exactly to go about my match. A thousand questions ran through my head. Was she really as powerful as they said? If she was, would I even be able to hit her? Should I forfeight the match? What would I prove by hiding most of the match?
Then as I returned to town with most of the questions still racing through my head. I heard news that Tsun had fofeighted her match. Hitoshi was the victor and my next opponent. Then as I thought about it, I realized that I know nothing about Hitoshi except that he is the only member of Konohagakure left in the tournament.
Being as I had no real knowledge of how Hitoshi fought, I decided the best course of action was to test his ability at the start of the match. I proceeded to use my clan's Underground Assassination Technique to hide from him. Though he knew I was underground he could not sense exactly where I was. He surprised me by doing the next most logical thing. He began to run around the arena. While this was not the first time I faced this tactic, it was rare to see. I waited until I felt him get close and then lunged for him. I made contact with his ankle and stunned him for a moment. I was then able to slash into his chest.
From there I did reasonably well keeping him on the defensive. Unfortunately there were a few blunders. My earth style was a complete failure except for the rug of dagger spikes that was meant to throw Hitoshi off, yet he ran into them. Oh well. I managed to win the battle. It was just not in elite fashion as I had desired it to be. Despite the barrier my opponent ended up in the hospital. He was the last opponent from another land to be in the exams. From here on out it was between the shinobi of Sunagakure.
It was set. The final match was with Sabaku. She had been destroying opponents in her path. She went through both Naru of Konohagakure and Haruko from our Village. While I had beaten Naru myself and had a tied spar record with Haruko, neither opponent was a push over. Supposedly she had no trouble beating either. Now it was time for me to begin planning for her.
So I had been thinking about my up coming match with Sabaku. I had heard she used fire style ninjutsu and tags. Rumor had it there was even some genjutsu. But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered just how much I actually knew of Sabaku. Things seemed off for some reason.
I met Sabaku in the training fields about two weeks before the Chuunin Exams. Originally I had thought her entry into the Exams was just a bad, premature decision. It was only after she managed to beat quite a few of the entrants that I began to think twice. But now, looking back on it… I do not know every genin to come out of Sunagakure. I admit that. I do however know most of the skilled shinobi from Suna. The village is not big enough to have multiple high level squads like Konohagakure. That means that when Itami launched the campaign against San Sura Duruta, we would have seen Sabaku. That is unless she was forbidden from going into hostile areas.
It makes no sense. Had Sabaku been forbidden from going into hostile areas then they more than likely would have forbid her from the exams. Unless perhaps the barrier was to be used as a safeguard. That or maybe she had been there along, but in the summoning unit. Could it be possible that Sunagakure has a Black Ops program in the making? It just seems so illogical to think that a genin without a teacher would appear in the training fields one day and be so strong.
As I was drawing a blank on how to fight Sabaku, I heard the news that our match had been cancelled. Sabaku had vanished and that the exams were over. Did this just make me the winner by default? Further more what happened to Sabaku? I doubt she feared me so running away was unlikely. There was no reason for her to have been kidnapped. Now I had even more questions about this girl, even if they were irrelevant to the Chuunin Exams.
I had heard rumors that shinobi from Konohagakure were rounded up and questioned about the kidnapping of Sabaku. I have no idea why leadership would assume that normal shinobi would know anything from a country that has Anbu units. If Konohagakure did it, there is no doubt they would have sent their Anbu units and more than likely evacuated their own shinobi before that. Either way this was not the least of our troubles. Kirigakure had launched its own assault against us. Their shinobi were causing a bit of havoc in our village.
Despite all of this, I had yet to run into any shinobi from Kirigakure. I also had not been selected to investigate the kidnapping of Sabaku. Promotions had not been handed out either. So I did what any normal shinobi would do. I made my presence known on the streets. I had intended to give the villagers a sign of hope. At the same time, I wanted to discourage any foreign shinobi from their evil misdoings.
I guess my presence was not enough. From somewhere behind me, I heard a girl scream. A man was holding her hostage and required us to follow him. It was only later that I found his name was Genjitsu Emu, a wanted criminal in the bingo book. I joined Itami, Kazuhito, Naru and Berii of the Uchiha in following him. He ended up using the tunnel system below Sunagakure. Knowing there was a little girl's life on the line and that this was a trap, I went to go enlist help. By the time I had found Shemri and her cat, a bomb shook the village. We raced back in time to be passed on. Both the Uchiha girls had been downed.
We followed Emu into a chamber. He was talking like a mad man. Something about waking someone up. Then he dove off of a ledge. Shemri was able to bring him back up from the ledge using her cloth. He then produced a dagger and tossed it at Itami. I was unable to stop the dagger, but I stabbed him with my tail. The light venom that I excreted into him should have subdued him. Instead it caused him to swell and die. It was unnatural.
Looking back at Itami, Nai had appeared and taken the dagger. It ate away at his chakra. Though I did not understand a lot of what he was speaking about, he seemed to be upset at the way people were. He revealed himself to be someone Itami had known and then left. Things were far from over though we now had one less criminal in the world.
The results from the Chuunin Exams are in.
Amaro Haruko
Shippodoku Keiji
Shirokiri Rise
Thats right. I passed the exams and have been promoted to official Chuunin of Sunagakure status. There was some initial shock at how few people passed the exams. It was expected that three people pass the Jounin Exams, but only three for the Chuunin seemed slightly low.
Here were the number of top entrants from each country for the Chuunin Exams:
Konogakure - 6 Entrants - 0 Graduates
Kirigakure - 1 Entrant - 0 Graduate
Kumogakure - 1 Entrant - 1 Graduate
Sunagakure - 3 Entrants - 2 Graduates
For the Jounin Exams:
Konogakure - 3 Entrants - 1 Graduate
Kirigakure - 4 Entrant - 1 Graduate
Kumogakure - 0 Entrant - 0 Graduate
Sunagakure - 3 Entrants - 1 Graduate
From the numbers Kumogakure had a 100% passing rate though they only sent one person and was one of two major countries who did not participate in the Jounin Exam. Sunagakure had an overall %50 passing rate. 66% in the Chuunin Exams. 33% in the Jounin Exams. Kirigakure had a 20% passing rate. Konohagakure had 11%.
I found the numbers slightly surprising. Not that the future could be based off of these for a single set of exams, but Kirigakure has a reputation for being one of the most aggressive nations. It was no surprise that they sent the most candidates for the Jounin Exams. It was a surprise that only one passed. The other major surprise was that Konogakure, a nation known for their skilled clans, sent the most genin candidates yet did not have a single one graduate. Now the main question I have to ask, is was Sunagakure lucky in this Exam because it was selected as the location for it to take place? Will home town advantage affect the next set of Exams or will they be different?
So far it does not appear that there are many differences between being a Genin and a Chuunin. Sure the pay is considerably better and now I am expected to step into more of a leadership role, but there is no guide to fufilling the expectations. While there is a little confusion on the expectations and a little hesitation to step out of my former shoes, I believe it will only take me a short while to get use to the situation.
I do wonder if every Genin has felt this way after being promoted. To ease this feeling I have spent a lot of time in the training fields. I watch the Genin practice. Every so often I add pointers. This is something I had watched Kuoroke do. Besides the fact he is on the council, he is a lot older than most of the shinobi. I am younger than most of them. How do you explain to someone older than you that your way might be better than theirs without them looking at you like you are a fool or self righteous? It seems every shinobi wants to break down the obstacles in their own way by themselves.
I feel bad for Kazuhito. This is not because he is four years older than me and still a Genin. It is also not because he seems to jump at his own shadow in most situations. Actually in a sense, I guess I do feel bad because both of these reasons seem to stem from a scorpion's sting when he was younger. It caused him to lose use of his right arm. Deep down I wish there was something I could do to help him or at least make it up to him. I know when I show him my tail, he starts to freak out.
Well tonight things kind of got a bit out of hand with Kazuhito. He came to congratulate me on becoming a Chuunin. Instead I wanted to talk to him about getting over his fears. As usual he began to protest. I explained to him that I wanted to take him on missions but did not want to endanger others in case he ran into a scorpion in the desert. This further pushing caused him to withdraw from the table and then he tried to leave the establishment. I explained to him that my desire to help him and take him on missions was not out of sympathy but because as a friend I would expect someone to do the same for me. One of those, divided we fall and together we stand concepts. He understood but has asked that I allow him to do this on his own.
I just wonder where should I draw the line? Do I remain a friend or push it as a mentor? Will there be consequences to either action or to inaction?
Recently Tsubasa of the Seishukuni Clan was found dead. I am sure there is an investigation into the matter but no one is releasing any detail. I did not know him personally, but he was a shinobi of Sunagakure. The reason this is important is that it seems the Seishukuni Clan has an agreement with the village, much like my own clan. In their agreement though, they send two shinobi to the village where as mine does not seem to have a set number. We have had two new faces.
The first new face is Shinn. I briefly met him at the training fields. He seemed to be setting up dummies for other students to practice with. I approached him to find out why he was not practicing his kunai throwing. It turns out this boy can be classified as a pacifist. While I have nothing against those with the desire to preserve life, I know full well others in the village would find fault with it. As I tried to explain that it was necessary to gain the skills if only to keep them for emergency situations, Imota decided to step in and explain that shinobi by default required violent actions. As usual Imota employed the tact of a brick.
Then I decided to switch tactics. I expressed to Shinn that it might be useful to learn some other style jutsu. An example would be tracking jutsu. Im mean unless the boy joined the medical corps, conflict would happen. However if he was to learn tracking and stealth jutsu he could later join a recon unit and his chances of entering direct conflict would be significantly less. After a while Imota began to back down. The boy still remained on guard and eventually headed home. I believe he felt like we were playing tug of war with him.
The second new face from the Seishukuni clan is Kitahoshi. I met her outside of the Kazekage Administration Dome. Both herself and Kazuhito accompanied me on a mission to pass out official notices for the day. We were replacing the usual carrier who sprained his ankle. The mission was a decent chance to get the introductions out of the way. After the mission I promised both of them a meal. Since we ended slightly later than expected they both decided to run off instead.
So true to my word, I decided to buy Hoshi lunch the following day. Kazuhito was no where to be found. I learned a few things about her over the meal. First the girl has a huge appetite. I am not sure where she puts all of it. She ordered like three seperate meals. This leads me to believe she comes from a spoiled life. I think her parents might come from money. I believe she mentioned they were merchants. The second thing is that she really does not care to be a shinobi. I am certain she was chosen to appease an agreement and did not have a choice in the matter. Come to think of it, I have never seen her at the training fields. She also seemed uninterested when I offered to help her learn some new jutsu.
Despite their lack of interest in violence, I believe that both of these Seishukuni have a lot of potential. While the Crystal style is known to contain powerful techniques, it is the heart of these two that I am looking at. I have no issues taking a life, but I do not enjoy it. I would rather lead a group of pacifists that error on the side of not killing versus beasts who choose to kill for pleasure. I believe given the right reasons, these two may be able to share a similar philosphy as me.
Both myself and Konsatsu were selected to accompany Itami-sama to the Land of Fire. We decided to take the route through the Land of Rain. This was another first for me. I had never been to this land before. At first I enjoyed the near constant rain. It was a nice change of pace from the desert. That is until the entire land turned to mud. We had passed a couple of huts but as the rain began to pour down, we were having a hard time imagining how those huts were still standing. My brother continued to shout various threats towards Itami. I sometimes wonder how he has survived this long. She must see something in him. On the subject of sight though, visibility had become next to nothing. Every so often there would be lightning accompanied by a boom of thunder. The lightning all seemed to strike near the same place.
As we tried to focus on the light shed by the lightning, we saw a figure. It was hard to tell at first but the figure seemed to be the center of the storm. We chased after it to find out we were not alone. There was a small team from Kirigakure. Both teams caught up to the man as he stumbled and fell into the mud. It turns out this guy was one of the famed Sevenswordsman. He was struck with amnesia during the end of the last war. Itami had met him before. Things were quite tense for a few moments there. Konsatsu decided to hide underground. We were not sure if he would launch an attack or if he was doing the smart thing and letting us use diplomacy.
In the end the one known as Ryuutai went willingly back to Kirigakure with the two kunoichi from his homeland. He did however give Itami a weapon before we went on our way. The sword is said to control sound vibrations. She always gets all the cool stuff. Oh well, I still have my pincers. The trek out of the land seemed to be a lot easier than the one into it.
We stopped shortly at a little village once we crossed into the Land of Fire. Mainly to dry off our soaked clothes and to get some rest. Konsatsu and I stopped at the local spring. Unfortunately it turned into a mud bath since Kon decided not to preshower. In general he seems to lack all manners. Not sure exactly how we turned out so very different. He is the model Shippodoku while I seem to be cut from a different cloth. Itami instead decided to go get some sleep.
After a short while I took a shower and went to get dressed. When I returned, Itami had wrapped a towel around Konsatsu's head from behind. He began to flail around and then dropped his own towel. I simply shook my head and decided to make my exit before Itami got any ideas about me. I was starting to understand it though. He constantly threatens her and she eggs him on. He is trying to feed his own ego and she finds him a source of much needed humor.
It was a while after we left the little village that we came upon the great bridge near the Leaf's Hidden Village. There we were met by the legendary Uchiha Fuyu. My first impression was that she seemed taller in the tales spread about her around campfires. We knew we were going after Hiroko. She was the relative of the Fire Daimyo that we all knew as Sabaku. It was here though that we were let in on the true nature of the mission. Itami let on that we were the army sent by Sunagakure. Fuyu let on that she was the army sent by Konohagakure. Quickly everyone realized this had become a stealth mission. The chances of a frontal assault had just been stabbed repeatedly in extremely important places and were left to bleed out on that bridge.
I think at that point Fuyu began to sense our desperation. She tried to inspire us with words. She did really well until she mentioned the girl's name as Taji. It was then that I realized I had met Sabaku before. She was the bandaged refugee that came to us during the last war. I had sat with her in an alley to keep her safe from a sandstorm. I thought the last time I had seen her was when I returned her to the hospital. While we knew her life as Sabaku was a lie, the more we uncovered, the more lies we found. She had layers of them. Just how many names did this girl have? Was it only the three or were there more?
Needless to say, I was not turning back now. Despite being lied to, this was one of those missions that makes a breaks a career. Plus to head back now would be to live in shame for eternity or until we could find redemption. Deep down though, I hope Itami knows what she is doing bringing Konsatsu. He is still young and inexperienced. I hope he does not die.
So we finally made it to the compound where Sabaku was being held. The place looked more like a resort. In fact I think it was a resort until this happened. Now it looked like a resort turned into a makeshift bunker. There were also some more shinobi from Konoha. Nara Shintaro, a recently appointed Jounin and Uchiha Naru. It had been a short while since I saw Naru. The second round of the Exams to be exact. I was not sure how she felt about me.
Soon after we followed Fuyu into the compound and began killing chefs. We were ordered to start a fire to draw the attention of other shinobi and evacuate anyone not involved in shinobi behaviour. There was also the extremely powerful Genjutsu that Fuyu used on one of the guards to turn him into her personal information drone.
Finally we made our way to where they were keeping Sabaku. She was being sedated. We formed a plan and the guy guarding her was about to have a very bad day. I transformed into my fully mastered Sasoriendai. Fuyu hit the guy with a genjutsu. Shintaro hit him with shadows. I stabbed him in the neck and then picked up Sabaku and made my own exit through the wall. Luckily for us there seemed to be some Kirigakure Elders having a meeting. They decided they really did not want her and that we were free to take her. Not sure why they could not just give us back.
Either way, Sabaku was returned to her home and status. We recieved a pat on the back from the Hokage. I know Uchiha Fuyu was greatful too. I still have no real idea what was going on when they placed Sabaku in our village. I get hiding her elsewhere, but why let her participate in the exams? One day I may understand. I have a lot more missions ahead of me.
As a Genin, I had desired to be on a team. Not just a team for this mission or a set of missions, but an actual place to belong. I spent time moving between groups of people. While I am able to work with most people quickly, I've never really developed that bond where I know where someone will be or what someone will do given a situation.
As a Chuunin, I have desired to put together my own team. One reason is to allow a Genin that kind of bond. Another reason is so that I can develop bonds as a teacher to a student. It was a severe blow to my pride when Itami told me she felt I was not ready. One way or another, I will prove her wrong. I am as ready as the first day she lead a team. Mistakes will happen, but I must be sure not to allow them to be the type to scar those around me.
I was approached by Zalosu of the Kuroki Clan. He was recently appointed to the Chuunin status. My knowledge of him leads me to believe he operates mostly by the books. He reminds me a little bit of Kuoroke. The request however was to aid him in teaching a student of his to use Taijutsu. Of course I agreed to aid another of my village.
As we approached his student, Kazeodori, it was apparent this boy was very different from normal. Instead of attempting to use the Tree Walking Jutsu, the boy was using some wind technique to suction himself to the wall. Even when called the boy seemed to lack discipline and focus. He also seemed to lack respect for his teacher. Normally in this situation, I use the Headhunter Technique to try to gain their attention and they fight back. This time though, the boy actually listened. He seemed interested in the technique and other things that I could teach him.
Soon after I was placed on the team as team leader. I am not sure what Zalosu did, but last I heard he was appointed to guard duty. Now here I am with a Sasaki student that strikes me as probably one of the most unique Genin I have ever met. Now to form the rest of my team.
In an attempt to get to know Kazeodori, I have used some small ploys. Things like offering to buy him meals while discussing his future. It is almost like the boy keeps a second wind for food. I swear he was on the verge of exhaustion when I found him. I mentioned that I would pay for his food and he was practically on his feet, dragging me towards the restaurant. Though we talked a bit he refused to mention what it was that was eating at his thoughts.
So the next day we were out training. He was showing me what he could do with his wind and asking over techniques. I explained to him that just because a technique might not be possible does not mean that it is impossible to make someone see it as possible. For example, clones and substition techniques. There are many illusions that can aid in making someone thing something false in battle. The boy asked over my illusions. While I do not use illusions, I did tell him that I posess one ability that usually weirds people out. He seemed insistant on seeing it.
I transformed into my Scorpion form. I thought he might fear me, but instead the boy showed excitement and then he did the strangest thing ever. He climbed onto my back. I decided to entertain him a bit. So I climbed the wall protecting the village and then let him step off before changing back. We spoke a little bit about our clans, mainly mine. I think I am breaking through his barriers. He shows me respect and seems to trust me.
So far I have found out that the boy can shoot wind from his mouth like a yell. I have been working with him to focus it down to the size of a needle or a bullet. Wind users are not usually the stealthy type, but if he can manipulate shape and size, sound may not be impossible.
There has been a another assigned to my team. He is not from a clan. His name is Asao and he is but a year older than me and a Chuunin. He is everything his file stated, maybe more. I will have to find out. There are some that are by the book, then there are others that are the book. I am not saying Asao would mutiny if I gave orders to rob a place and burn it down, but he would give me the mathematical percentage of being caught versus using other means. His morality remains a mystery to me.
When we first met, he had this annoying ticking. It turns out that the man makes puppets for battle. The ticking is based off of a puppet that uses a clock base. The difference between a normal base and a clock base is lost on me, but he seems to find it has some advantages. We have not really dicussed family or anything similar.
Asao did surprise me though. He sent word for me to meet him in the Shuren Caverns. It was the place where the Survival Portion of the Chuunin Exams was held. He wanted me to hide chakra stones in various locations and then have him locate them on a map of the cavern. It was an extremely text book practice. Most people would have sought out the stones to see if they could simply locate them by walking to them. Instead Asao uses a map and then sends me off to replace the stones in different locations.
I know he is able to use seals and his puppet Tokken uses lightning strikes. Other than that this Chakra Sensory seems to be the only really special skill. The ability to make puppets makes his usefulness near endless. It is just a matter of building the bond needed to be able to influence his decisions in building them. I wonder if he is able to make one that looks like me and can change into a Scorpion? I could only imagine how useful that would be in combat. An illusion of two Keiji. For now though I'm interested to see how Asao and Kaze get along. Then I can figure out the direction for the team to start moving.
Today Team Two was appointed a final member. The girl's name is Shibata Akina. According to the file she is a Genin that shows potential in poisons. Basically an herbalist. The file also states that her past is a large unknown. Despite the unknown, I admit I was excited to meet the new recruit. This would add another dimension to the team.
Unfortunately when I arrived there, the girl was looking at plants and when asked if she was meeting someone there, claimed to forget. She also had this annoying habit of talking about herself in the third person. Akina then seemed upset when I asked to test her ability. There was potential in her ability. She understood how to test another opponent instead of rushing in head first. The only issue is she seemed to fight me on every compliment.
Unlike most of my first spars with Genin, she was able to hit me with a poison senbon. While it was a lucky shot and by no means something I could not have avoided, I view it as a good sign. I do hope to get past her tough exterior. She would make an awesome part of the team. I did notice something strange about her. The girl's eyes are dark like mine. While not uncommon in a shinobi world, it does seem to raise a question or two about her past.
If Akina turns out to be the real deal then it means Team Two could move towards more of a Stealth Ops function. This will take a lot of work on my part. Kazeodori is not exactly stealthy. That could change though. Asao should not be too hard to bring around.
In an attempt to branch out the team a little further, I have started training to become a Medical Ninja. The reading is a bit of a pain, but nothing I cannot handle. There are so many different things to learn though. The volumes are like giant tomes. There are multiple books in a set. So far I have begun working on the second volume. These books are obviously more in depth than the first set.
I have taken to drawing out diagrams on the walls of my cavern. It is an endless amount of space for me to use. If I need to, I can always make an addition to the cavern. The diagrams allow me to rewrite what it is that I have read. Then I am able to add in other details from different sections. It is like putting a picture to words.
Not only will this increase the survival rate of my team, but medical ninjutsu will allow me the knowledge to become an even more deadly assassin. Using my knowledge of deadly plants, I will be able to tailor poisons to strike at specific nerves or other systems. This training is easily going to pay off in the end.
Asao was able to get me a part time internship at the hospital. This is the next step to learning the ninjutsu. Not only must I have read and learned the information, but now I need to be able to practice and apply the knowledge to an actual situation. Otherwise learning all of it really means nothing.
War is on the horizon. Recently our nation made an alliance with Kirigakure. The news shocked the shinobi world. Sunagakure has always been known for neutrality. Even in the last war when we were attacked, Suna refused to participate until the near end of the war out of fear of retaliation.. Now we are allies to a nation that is viewed as the largest instigator of wars in history.
Even worse than this, Kumogakure decided to start moving troops towards the Kirigakure/Kumogakure border. In response, Team Two was sent to investigate the situation. Chances of success in this situation were not good. As a team, we are still young. I had an uneasy feeling going into it.
I was able to infiltrate the cave that Kumogakure was guarding. Previous recon of the surrounding area showed no signs of a supply route. Somehow though they managed to get a huge bunker of supplies. While I was exploring, Asao dealth with the guards. I was unable to fully explore before I recieved the signal from him that I needed to leave. At the point I recieved his forehead protector, I knew he was no longer coming home. He knew it as well. It was his sacrifice that allowed the mission to continue on and myself to return to safety.
This is the first time someone around me has actually died. It seems different to be on the other side of the coin. Especially since it happened under my command. Asao was a decent second in command and resourceful. He was only on the team a short while but I think eveyone was starting to come together as not just a team but friends.
Team two has been back in Sunagakure for only a couple of days and they have already assigned a replacement to the team. I had really hoped for another Genin. Unfortunately I recieved another Chuunin. I have yet to learn his actual name though he claims to be an assassin. He comes from a clan that manipulates metal. I am not sure exactly to what extent his metal manipulation can be used. He would be the first member of the team to have an advanced element.
There are a couple of good things to come out of this. Another assassin means we will be geared more towards assassin missions. Missions where you get in right away, kill a target and get out. There is a lot I can teach this assassin. The negative is that assassins are usually very strong willed. They like to do things their own way. Especially if they have worked alone for a while.
The other portion is how he gets along with the others. Asao took a while to get under the defenses of Kazeodori. Not sure how well he went with Akina, but this guy will have to do the same.
For a normal assassin, an assignment usually means working alone. For a pair of assassins, things are only slightly different. One assassin still does most of the work while another usually focuses on one aspect of the mission, or an objective. This can be anything from providing a distraction to make a window in a defense to guarding an escape route incase there is a tail.
Today I was providing the latter for Suterusu. He recieved a mission to take someone's life. I worked the details on the escape routes for him. As night fell, I stood guard in my spot. I spotted Suterusu on the move. He had drawn a tail. I was a bit more than shocked to find Naru of the Uchiha clan chasing after him. That poor fool earned her wrath. I was tempted just to let him die, but that would look really, really bad on my team history. One death is bad enough.
I knew full well the kind of power Naru held. So I transformed into my Sasoriendai form and ambushed her. I only wanted to slow her down long enough to let Suterusu get away. Unfortunately for me, it turned into a full out brawl. Her lightning style was extremely painful. I continued to fight through the pain though. That is until she changed her eyes. Then it was more or less over. Things ended up going dark as the pain of electricity coursed through my veins.
I was a bit shocked to wake up in a hospital bed back in Sunagakure. I guess when I failed to show up at the meeting point, Suterusu decided to come back for me. I thought for certain she had me. I guess she drained too much of her chakra using those special eyes of hers. In the end, I think she was unable to continue combat. Maybe she looked for a place to rest.
I have been noticing a bit more about the newest addition to the team. Some of these things are quite disturbing. The eyeball collection is just that. What makes it more disturbing, is that my eyes are special from normal people. My eyes are adjusted to see in the dark. I wonder if he has a pair of Shippodoku eyes. Perhaps that is not as special as the Sharingan or the Hyuuga Dojutsu. That did not seem to really matter when he took the eyes from the bandit on our last mission. I put the man out of his misery. Suterusu planned to leave the man alive.
The lesser thing that stood out to me was when he stole Akina's mask. He told her that he needed it. Why? Did someone order him to take it or was it personal? Each question only seems to stem more questions. If he was ordered to take it, why tell her he needed it? Also why would anyone want her mask? Was it a message to Akina or maybe a test for Suterusu to show his willingness to go against his team if need be?
On the other hand if it was personal, then what does he gain from taking it? Could he be showing it to someone? Though equally as puzzling, the questions never seem to lead to a true answer. Perhaps it was a dominance thing over Akina. He did give it back though. I guess this means that I am left with a single option. That is to watch his every move. What is it that you are up to Suter?
The second set of Promotion Exams have been announced. Unfortunately for me they come at a bad time in my training. Instead of mastering one area, I branched out into multiple areas. My lack of knowledge in each leaves so much to be desired. There are so many different shaman poisons and medical ninjutsu. Even with my level of Taijutsu, I must admit my confidence is not what it once was. This year, I will not take part in the Exams. This is a hard decision as I feel like I have something to defend since I won the last tournament.
Akina on the other hand has decided to enter the exams to become a Chuunin. I do not feel she is ready. I have warned her of the dangers. As her teacher there is not much more I can do. Forbidding her might stop her from going to the exams, but then I might be robbing her of a lesson. While she has no plans to enter the tournament portion of the exam, she does have some goals. If she makes them, wonderful. If not, then the failure might teach her a bit more of life. This will be interesting
Before the exams began, I recieved a summon from Risu. While I have met her in the past, this is not someone I often run into. The idea of her summoning me came as a small surprise. Recently she signed up for the Second Promotion Exams being held in Kirigakure. The subject of the summons was to research how I passed the First Promotion Exams. In my opinion, that was actually her first step in the right direction.
I explained to her that the second round is usually about a bit of luck. It all depends on the force you run into and how strong that force is. Things are not always as they appear. An example is attacking a single person instead of a group of two or maybe three. During the first exams, one Genin beat up an allied team of three Genin without breaking a sweat. We had other competitors that made alliances and passed because of that, however a few did quite a bit of work alone like me. The way to miminize this danger is to never underestimate your opponent or opponents. Ambushes and other tactical advantages need to be taken advantage of.
Then there is the option to make your own alliances. This is a double edged blade. While an alliance gives you an extra set of man power, the main issue becomes that you put a possible enemy in a position to guard your back. The exams are made to push Genin to their point of breaking. You can never fully trust an ally in an exam like this. Even if things go extremely well, the partner could turn on you at a weak point to ensure they do not face you in the finals. This comes down to tactical planning.
The third round itself is a lot different. The opponents are selected for you and then you have to prepare for them. The only way to really help yourself here is to attempt to do some research on most of the combatants in the second round. This also means risking the scroll or scrolls you have.
I really hope this helps her out.
Timeline
- Birth - Born Oct 15th into the Shippodoku Clan
- 5 years old - Began to train in the Pincer Style
- 7 years old - Learned the Underground Assassination Technique
- 9 years old - Graduated from the Academy
- 10 years old - Unlocked the starting stage of Sasoriendai
- 11 years old - Became one of three to graduate the first Chuunin Exams
- 12 years old - Became Captain of Team 2
- 12 years old - Fully Mastered all known levels of Sasoriendai
- 13 years old - Learned Shippodoku Shamanism, fell out of favor with Shippodoku clan
- 14 years old - Learned Medical Ninjutsu
- 15 years old - Promoted to Jounin
Abilities
 |
| Mythological Scorpion Man |
|---|
| Rank | Name | Type |
|---|---|---|
| D | Pincer Block | Defense |
| D | Pincer Strike | Attack |
| D | Scorpion's Scuttle | Attack |
| C | Advanced Pincer Strike | Attack |
| C | Rising Pincers | Attack |
| C | Scorpion's Dash | Defense |
| C | Shippodoku Sight | Defense |
| C | Underground Assassination Technique | Attack |
| B | Tail Strike | Attack |
| Rank | Name | Type |
|---|---|---|
| D | Perception II | Defense |
 |
| Bad Luck |
|---|
| Rank | Name | Type |
|---|---|---|
| D | Headhunter Technique | Attack |
| D | Stone Dagger Rug | Attack |
| D | Tremor Sense | Defense |
| C | Earth Clone | Attack & Defense |
| C | Earth Dome | Defense |
| Rank | Name | Type |
|---|---|---|
| - | NA | NA |
| Rank | Name | Type |
|---|---|---|
| - | NA | NA |
 |
| Crimson Fattail Scorpion |
|---|
| Rank | Name | Type |
|---|---|---|
| D | Sasoriendai I | Transformation |
| C | Sasoriendai II | Transformation |
| B | Sasoriendai III | Transformation |
| A | Sasoriendai IV | Transformation |
| Rank | Name | Type |
|---|---|---|
| D | Water Walking | Skill |
| D | Tree Walking | Skill |
| C | Hidden Cavern | Skill |
 |
| Massive Scorpion Attack |
|---|
Weapons of Interest
Two Finger Pincer Claw
Specifications:
Blade: 2.5"
Overall:5.5"
Weight: 3.6 oz.
Material: Metal
Forged By: Shippodoku Smith
Description:
The pincer weapon mimics that of a scorpion's claw. There are two parts to the weapon. The first is the upper portion which attaches to the pointer finger. The metal covering extends past the finger to cover the joint connecting the finger to the hand. A blade then protrudes outwards from the finger.
The lower portion of the pincer connects to the thumb. Like the upper portion, it extends past the joint connecting the thumb to the hand. Again a blade protrudes outwards from the thumb.
The pincer serves multiples purposes in the Pincer Style practiced by the Shippodoku. While this type of pincer is fairly small, the metal is durable enough to block most things of a kunai's size or smaller. The blades may also be coated with various poisons or venom. This weapon is made primarily for stabbing an opponent, though slashing is possible.
Things of Importance
My Clan
Despite being of the Shippodoku Clan, I despise the only way of life I have ever known. We are caught somewhere between the lifestyle of humans and that of scorpions. While scorpions live a life of solitude, we are driven to it by the selfish actions of others in the clan. Some say it makes us stronger, but in the end our numbers are still at an all time low.
To solve the low numbers, the clan has decided to send the young into the village to make bonds with others. This does not seem like a short term solution. I wonder how much pride was swallowed in making that decision. On the other hand, just what impact will it have on the clan? Will some of us move above ground and join other clans?
As far as clan knowledge, I am coming to an age where I get to learn some of the clan's secrets. Hopefully they will prove useful in my goals.
My Village
Sunagakure. The village hidden in the sand. There is not a lot to say about it. The village seems fairly quiet. In most things we take a neutral stance. In my time above ground, the Jounin Council seems to actually care about its people and their well being. This does not appear to be a place where the strong do as they wish and the weak suffer for it.
I take pride in this village. I do not think I would mind giving my life to protect it. Most the leaders here would make horrible Shippodoku.
Theme Songs
In General
Death Blooms by Mudvayne1
Battle Song
Death Whispered a Lullaby by Opeth2
Mission Log
Campaign
Sting Operation - Caravan
What If? Dead Rising - Resident Ninja
New Year - Shippodoku New Year
Blood Red Sandman - Run Away
First Promotion Exams - Easy Ambush: Keiji vs. Naoki
First Promotion Exams - So Close, Yet So Far: Keiji vs. Eremi
First Promotion Exams - Vengeance Unattained: Naoki vs. Keiji 2
First Promotion Exams - National Geographic, Ninja Style
First Promotion Exams - Never Run Away: Naru vs. Keiji
First Promotion Exams - Campfire Social
First Promotion Exams - Baby Eater
First Promotion Exams - Preemptive Scouting: Kaydin vs. Keiji
First Promotion Exams - Sudden Elimination: Kaydin vs. Keiji
First Promotion Exams - Semi Finals: Hitoshi vs. Keiji
Blood Red Sandman - Depths of Depravity
Blood Red Sandman - Am I Evil?
Worth Dying For - The Thief and The Darkness Pt. 1
Get That Girl! - We're Rescuing Who?
UnNatural Disasters - Operation Halt Sandstorm
Ninja's Best Friend - Feeding Time
S Rank
A Rank
B Rank
The Sandman's Puppets
Firebug Houka
Stillness of a clock
Spark Boy Akira
Never Stood a Chance
Assassination of a Noble
Stringing Up the Yellow Hats
Seperating Church and State
In and Out
High Priority Trade
The Coalition Cleansing - Recruitment Derailed
C Rank
Distant Struggles
Easy Money
Innocents of San Sara - First Phase
Art Tracking
Deserts & Caravans & Wolves - Oh My!
Impostors!
Pick Pocket Troubles
The Lowest Bidder
He'd Be Dead Any Other Time
Glass Emotions
High Value Cargo
Rescue Rangers and the Song of Jirube's Lullaby
Arachnid Allies
While sleeping dogs lie, someone else gets the prize
Pride of Nobles
D Rank
Curious Caper of the Cave Fire
Subsitute Delivery Service
Siphoning of Sweet Spirits
The Question of Bandits
Endless Bubbles
Next of Kin
Hog Crazy
Social
Lesson one: Never leave your guard open!
Asao's start for sensory training
Learning Medical Ninjutsu Part I
Non Faces
Tiny Prick of Poison
Learning Medical Ninjutsu Part II
Learning Medical Ninjutsu Part III
Few Comforting Words
Learning Medical Ninjutsu Part IV
Not Your Average Clone
Descent into Madness: Risu's fall
Katashi's Internal Struggle
Sands of Time
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